Sukkah, Daf Lamed Daled, Part 3
תנו רבנן: אי זהו ערבה ואיזהו צפצפה? ערבה קנה שלה אדום, ועלה שלה משוך, ופיה חלק. צפצפה, קנה שלה לבן, ועלה שלה עגול, ופיה דומה למגל. –
Our rabbis taught: What is an aravah and what is a tzaftzefah? A willow its stem is red, its leaf is elongated and its edge is smooth; the tzaftzefah its stem is white, its leaf is round and its edge is like a sickle.
This baraita provides identifying marks to distinguish between a valid aravah and the invalid tzaftzefah.
והא תניא: דומה למגל – כשר, דומה למסר – פסול!
אמר אביי: כי תניא ההיא – בחילפא גילא.
אמר אביי: שמע מינה האי חילפא גילא כשר להושענא. – פשיטא! – מהו דתימא: הואיל ואית ליה שם לווי – לא נתכשר, קא משמע לן.
ואימא הכי נמי? – ערבי נחל אמר רחמנא, מכל מקום.
But has it not been taught: If it is like a sickle it is valid, if like a saw it is invalid?
Abaye said: That was taught only with regard to the rounded aravah.
Abaye said: deduce from here that a rounded aravah is valid for the hoshanna.
But is this not obvious? What might you have said? Since it has an accompanying name it would not be valid, therefore he informs us [that it is not so].
But perhaps it is indeed so? "Willows of the brook," the Torah says, implying from any place.
The first baraita in this section describes a tzaftzefah as having a serrated edge like a sickle. Thus a willow like a sickle would seem to be invalid. But a different baraita says that a willow that is like a sickle is valid. These two baraitot seem to contradict each other.
Abaye answers that the second baraita was taught in reference to a "rounded aravah" and not a tzaftzefah. If a rounded aravah has an edge like a sickle it is valid.
Abaye goes on to deduce from here that the rounded aravah is valid for use with the lulav on Sukkot, as a "hoshanna."
This seems to be obvious why would we think that such an aravah is invalid? The answer is that it is an "accompanying name." As we have seen elsewhere, sometimes if something has an "accompanying name" it cannot count as part of the category, in this case the category of "aravah." That’s why Abaye had to
Finally, the Talmud asks why such an aravah is valid. They answer with a midrash. The Torah uses the plural form of "willow" to include other willows besides the normal type. Thus a rounded willow is valid.
אמר רב חסדא: הני תלת מילי אשתני שמייהו מכי חרב בית המקדש:
חלפתא ערבתא, ערבתא חלפתא.
מאי נפקא מינה – ללולב.
שיפורא חצוצרתא חצוצרתא שיפורא, מאי נפקא מינה – לשופר של ראש השנה.
פתורתא פתורא, פתורא פתורתא, למאי נפקא מינה – למקח וממכר.
אמר אביי אף אני אומר: בי כסי הובלילא, הובלילא בי כסי.
למאי נפקא מינה – למחט הנמצא בעובי בית הכוסות.
אמר רבא בר יוסף אף אני אומר: בבל בורסיף, בורסיף בבל,
למאי נפקא מינה – לגיטי נשים.
R. Hisda said: Since the destruction of the Temple the following three things have had their names interchanged:
[What was called] halafta [is now called] aravta, and what was called aravta, is now called halafta.
What is the practical significance of this? With regard to the lulav.
[What was called] shifora [is now called] hatzotzratah, and what was hatzotzratah is now shifora.
What is the practical significance of this? With regard to the shofar for Rosh Hashanah.
[What was called] patorta [is now called] patora, and what was patora is now patorta.
What is the practical significance of this? With regard to business transactions.
Abaye said: I also add [that what was formerly called] bei kasei [is now called] huvlila, and huvlila is now called bei kasei.
What is the practical significance of this? With regard to a needle found in the fleshy part of the second stomach.
Raba b. Joseph said: I also add that [what was formerly called] Babylon [is now called] Borsif and Borsif is now Babylon.
This long section is a list of things whose name has changed since the destruction of the Temple. I will try to explain them one at a time.
1: Halafta aravah. This is the topic of our sugya and is the reason why this sugya is here.
2. Shifora hatzotzratah. The shifora is bent or twisted and is valid for use on Rosh Hashanah. The hatzotzratah is straight, does not come from a ram and should not be used on Rosh Hashanah.
3. Patorta patora. A big table or a small table. The reason why it is important to know the difference is in a case where one is selling or buying a table.
4. Huvlila be kase. Parts of the stomach. Identifying the parts of the stomach is significant for if a needle is found in a certain part the animal is a "trefe" and cannot be eaten.
5. Borsif Babylon. The names of various regions in Babylonia. This is important to know because when one brings a get from Babylon to Israel he need not testify "It was written and signed in front of me." We can assume that a get written in Babylon was executed properly because it is an area rich in Torah. Borsif was not known for its Torah learning, so gittin originating in Borsfi were distrusted. But now that the names have switched, the halakhah is switched. A person delivering a get from Babylon must say, "It was written and signed in front of me." But from Borsif he need not make such a declaration.